Magicgames II » And still another.When Baltimore Ravens general manage

OWINGS MILLS Youth Michael Pierce Jersey , Md. (AP)One trade, then another. r Ozzie Newsome finally got done dealing in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night, he walked away with Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson and sure-handed tight end Hayden Hurst.Joe Flacco is Baltimore’s quarterback for now, but Jackson is sure to get some consideration in the near future after Newsome jumped back into the first round to snag the man who threw a combined 57 touchdown passes over the past two years.Jackson was secured with the final pick of the first round in a trade with the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. Earlier, Newsome traded back twice before taking Hurst at No. 25.”It was masterful the way it happened in the draft room tonight,” beamed Newsome, who is heading the Ravens draft for the last time.Newsome and coach John Harbaugh made it clear that Flacco remains the No. 1 quarterback. But they simply couldn’t pass up the chance to take Jackson, who ran for 50 TDs and threw for 69 more during his spectacular three-run with the Cardinals.”Joe Flacco is our quarterback. That’s the thing that you got to remember,” coach John Harbaugh said. ”Lamar is going to have a chance to develop.”Newsome’s strategy for the night was to move back twice in order to get enough chips to make the trade with Philadelphia.His first swap was with Buffalo, when he traded picks No. 16 and 154 overall (a fifth-rounder) to the Bills for their 22nd overall pick and No. 65 – the first pick of the third round.Newsome then gave up the 22nd pick and a sixth-rounder to Tennessee for the 25th overall pick and a fourth-round selection.That fourth-round pick went to the Eagles, along with Baltimore’s second-rounder and a second-round pick in 2019, for No. 32 and 132.”What happened in that room was a masterpiece,” Harbaugh said.Jackson hoped to go earlier, but was content to have the Ravens come calling.”There is a chip on my shoulder. Both shoulders,” he said. ”I’m not mad. It’s just motivation.”Hurst, meanwhile, caught 44 passes for 559 yards and two scores as a junior last season.He is a potential replacement for Benjamin Watson, who led the Ravens with 61 catches in 2017 before leaving as a free agent.”They said they needed a guy to come and stretch the field vertically,” Hurst said. ”That suits me perfectly.”Hurst was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 17th round of the 2012 Major League draft. He played two seasons in the Gulf Coast League, first as a pitcher then as a first baseman, before giving up the sport and joining the Gamecocks as a walk-on.”When I was with the Pirates, I just didn’t have a lot of success Stitched James Hurst Jersey ,” he said. ”It was time for me to make a life change.”In the weeks leading up to the draft, Newsome focused on improving a passing attack that last year ranked 29th in the NFL. He signed three free agent receivers – Michael Crabtree, John Brown and Willie Snead – and added free agent quarterback Robert Griffin III.Now comes Hurst.”We added three wide receivers, now we’ve added a young tight end to the mix to continue to provide Joe some targets,” said Newsome, an NFL Hall of Fame tight end.Newsome’s contract expires after this season. He has been in charge of every Baltimore draft since the team moved from Cleveland before the 1996 season.His goal this year is to snag enough talent in the draft to help the Ravens end a three-year playoff drought. Baltimore went 9-7 last season, losing the finale to Cincinnati 31-27 when a victory would have given the Ravens a wild-card berth.— In Lamar Jackson’s second road start, the Ravens suffered a heartbreaking 27-24 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Baltimore certainly had their opportunities to win this game, and they could not deliver. Although there are no moral victories in the NFL, this should be the next closest thing. They held one of the league’s hottest offenses to 27 points. In the first quarter, Travis Kelce recorded four receptions for 53 yards. He finished with seven receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown. Kelce without a doubt was an issue for Baltimore’s defense, but they contained him as the game progressed. Despite suffering an injury, Tyreek Hill was another huge problem for the Ravens. He finished with eight receptions for 139 yards, including 39 yards on Kansas City’s final drive in overtime. In a game where every drive mattered, Baltimore’s offensive line faltered at the wrong time. On the final drive in regulation, Lamar Jackson did not identify a blitz, but Ronnie Stanley chose to block the outside rusher instead of the insider rusher, Justin Houston, who recorded a strip-sack. In overtime, Ronnie Stanley gave up a critical pressure. It would be unfair to blame the offensive line entirely, but they fell apart as the game progressed. 1. Progress, not perfectionJackson’s first road start in Atlanta was hardly a test. The crowd noise was minimal Youth James Hurst Jersey , while the stadium was barely filled. One week later, Jackson finally felt the pressure of a road game in the NFL. The crowd noise was evident, and the Ravens had to adjust their snap counts accordingly. The game plan was not much different than the previous weeks as it was another run-heavy approach. The final run-pass ratio was 26 to 39, but Jackson was impressive throwing the football. He delivered some of the best balls of his young NFL career. Similarly to last week, Jackson’s receivers did not do him any favors with untimely drops.He was much more accurate throwing the football, specifically on intermediate and deep routes. Not every throw was perfect, but he gave his receivers an opportunity to make plays on the football. Jackson is not free from blame as he did make several bad decisions and held onto the ball too long. His lone turnover was a protection issue, and he should have corrected it at the line of scrimmage. 2. Air Marty?With Joe Flacco at the helm, Marty Mornhinweg was a pass-happy play caller. He was often criticized for his unwillingness to run the football. The emergence of Lamar Jackson has changed Mornhinweg’s approach, but he still had several questionable play calls. In overtime, the Ravens ran a QB draw on 2nd and 18. Not only did Lamar Jackson suffer an injury on this play, but Kansas City sniffed it out immediately despite a holding penalty on James Hurst. This was too predictable of a play call, and it could be viewed as a boneheaded decision, to say the least. Mornhinweg needs to improve his play calling to avoid Jackson from taking too many hits in any given game. Not utilizing Jackson’s legs would be a mistake, but Mornhinweg needs to find the proper balance. 3. Kenneth Dixon season?Baltimore’s running back room has been a revolving door for much of the season, but it appears they may have a new three-headed monster with Ty Montgomery, Gus Edwards, and Kenneth Dixon. Montgomery has served as the third-down back, while Edwards and Dixon take care of first and second downs. Edwards had another solid performance with 62 yards, but the bigger takeaway was Dixon’s hard-nosed north-south running. Dixon finished with 59 rushing yards, a touchdown, and a 21-yard reception. He could have a significant role in this offense if he can stay healthy Stitched Patrick Onwuasor Jersey , 4. Adapt or lose?Since Flacco’s absence, the Ravens’ offensive approach has changed significantly. It has been a run-heavy approach, which caters to Lamar Jackson’s strengths. They have incorporated concepts such as zone read, power read, and counter bash among other plays. It has been successful as they have nearly rushed for 200 yards every single game in the last four weeks. One of the most significant counterpoints to this offensive strategy has been that it can not sustain itself, and it would be hard to compete with the upper echelon teams in the NFL. Thus far, Baltimore has proved both of those statements are incorrect. Four straight games with a ton of success running the ball, and they nearly defeated one of the best teams in the NFL with an MVP candidate in Patrick Mahomes. This should be the biggest takeaway from this game — with Lamar Jackson at quarterback, the Ravens can compete with any team in the league. One of the biggest factors for this has been their defense. 5. Patrick who?Baltimore’s defense put together another impressive performance against one of the league’s best offenses. Patrick Mahomes may very well win the MVP award, yet the Ravens’ defense limited him for much of the game. Like most top-tier quarterbacks, it is impossible to contain him for the entire game, but he was far from MVP-esque until late in the fourth quarter. Don Martindale dialed up a beautiful game plan that mixed in three and four-man rushes with exotic blitzes. They gave up a huge fourth and nine play, but it would be invalid to disregard the other positive things they did, including an interception and a three and out. It was not perfect, but it was part of a winning formula. 6. Top need?It is far too early to think about the offseason and Baltimore’s upcoming needs, but it is evident what position will be at the top of the list — safety. Tony Jefferson was out due to an injury, and Eric Weddle and Chuck Clark struggled mightily. Weddle consistently takes poor angles in the open field and struggles in single-high looks, while Clark is more of a box safety who does not mesh well with Weddle or Jefferson. Even if Jefferson was able to play this week, it might not have made much of a difference. Although he has been much better this season, he still has his fair share of struggles in coverage.